When people think of great locations for wine they often think to go to France, however, the place they’re looking for is much closer to home than expected. The location in question is Canada, and over just over the border, wine fanatics can drink till their heart’s content with some of the finest and most exceptional wines in the world.
The largest provider of wine in Canada is Ontario while Niagara is known as the place for producing the highest quality of wines. The reason for this is due to the varied terroir and climates between Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Escarpment which implement vintners to produce numerous different varieties of grapes, perfect for wine.
Both regions produce a number of exquisite wines but the most prominent is Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Franc. The main producers of these wines is the Okanagan Valley which has 174 wineries spread over 8,600 acres which accounts for 84% of wine production in the province. Due to it’s close proximity to Vancouver, wine lovers can easily head over to visit the wineries, taste all the wines and take in the stunning views.
Moreover, the increasing investment which has gone into the wineries and vineyards throughout British Colombia has implemented a shift in production with the best wineries producing a few different wines in smaller amounts, focusing on the quality and taste rather than the quantity. For example, CheckMate Artisanal Winery in Oliver is producing only 3,000 cases of Merlot and Chardonnay a year, made with exclusive native yeasts.
However, if you’re looking to buy some of this fine Canadian wine, only a few types are distributes in the United States and more than 95% is consumed within British Columbia.
If you take a trip to the wineries, you can buy as many bottles as you like but be sure to take into account the U.S Customs and Border Protection laws which allows you to enter the country with one liter of alcohol duty-free and 3% tax rate beyond that.
If that’s not enough to entice you to visit Canada, the food at the winery restaurants has been highly acclaimed, giving you that extra experience with your wine tasting.